Switched
by Heachan
Summary: Manga/Brotherhood-Ling's bad attempt at Alchemy messes up the Elric brothers.  How will they fix things. OVA style. Reviews inspire me to update sooner.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One-Failed science

"Ling, what the hell did you do?" Edward's voice had a hollow quality to it that wasn't normally there. Ling walked over, eyes squinting up, regarding the situation. Finally he shrugged and smiled innocently.

"Well I did say I didn't know what I was doing. Guess this stuff is more complicated then I thought."

"Complicated? Complicated! You better fix this now!" Edward was beyond angry and was unable to express his feelings any other way. So he resorted to yelling.

oOoOo

(Twenty minutes earlier)

"I've decided that I want to try Alchemy." Ling's announcement was made as the Elric brothers had just entered their room to find him sitting there waiting for them.

"Damn it, who let you in our room!" Edward yanked his coat off his shoulder and tossed it on the couch. Everywhere he went in Central now, Ling seemed to pop up randomly. Why couldn't they keep him locked up. "And what makes you think you can do something like that anyway?"

"Well you guys can do Alchemy so why not." Ed crossed his arms with a disapproving look on his face.

"You make it sound like we're stupid." Ling waved his hands back and forth.

"No nothing like that. Just that you two learned when you were just kids so surely someone of my intelligence can figure it out even if I haven't ever done it before."

"Yup, that really sounded like you were insulting us. And to be honest I don't think it's something you should be messing with." Edward felt a leather hand on his shoulder.

"I don't see why he shouldn't be able to try it." Edward turned back, glaring up at his brother.

"Cause it's just gonna cause more problems. You can't just learn Alchemy. It takes focus and you have to know what you're doing."

"Are you referring to those circles? I know how to draw them. I found some pictures of them in one of your books. You're standing on it." He pointed to the wooden floor where a freshly painted circle was. How the two of them hadn't noticed it when they walked in, they weren't sure. They also didn't recognize this particular circle. It wasn't like any one they'd ever seen before.

"Ling, you can't just draw circles anywhere. Alchemy can be dangerous too," Al warned as he moved out of the circle along with Ed.

"Yeah, what are you thinking?" Ed continued to scowl at him. The Prince pouted back at them.

"Oh you guys are no fun. I wanted you to show me how to do it." He slumped to his knees on the floor in front of the circle.

"Forget it, you're just gonna use it for something stupid like immortality." Ed was dogmatic about not helping him with that pointless quest.

"Fine then, I'll figure it out by myself. Like I said it can't be that hard." He stared back down at his circle. "Don't you just put your hands on it like this."

"Hey! Don't do that here!" Ed and Al moved to stop him but somehow the circle activated and the room began glowing blue.

"What's going on? There's no way he could get it to work so quickly," Alphonse glanced back at Edward.

"Don't look at me, I didn't activate anything." Suddenly Edward started to feel dizzy. He took a step away from the transmutation circle. It felt like the room was spinning. "Ling, knock it off, this isn't something to mess around with." Alphonse was about to move towards Ling in order to pull him away from the circle but found himself sinking to the floor. "Al, are you okay?" Ed's uneasy feeling got worse and he felt as though something unseen was lifting him from the floor.

Eventually Ling realized that he didn't even know what to do next and removed his hands from the edge of the circle. The room went back to normal as the blue electricity faded. Edward collapsed, his metal knee hitting the floor hard. The sound was only outdone by the clanging of Al's armored body landing on the floor as well on the other side of the circle.  
"Guys? You okay?" Ling looked from Ed to Al and then back again. Finally the armor's hand moved as it tried to sit up. For some reason the large mass of metal took a second as though it was having a difficult time.

"Huh? What happened?" Al looked around, crimson eyes glowing in curiosity. Ling got to his feet, dusting the front of his pants off.

"Well that was pointless. I don't think I understand Alchemy any better now." The armor's gaze moved to the blond laying across the floor. "Hey, wait a second. What's going on?" Al glanced down suddenly touching his metal body almost in a panicked fashion.

"What are you talking about?" Ling seemed confused.

"Why is my body over there and I'm over here?" The armor pointed at Ed who was still unconscious. Ling glanced back and forth between them again before bringing his finger up and pointed at the armor.

"You're Ed?" The crimson glow from the helmet's eyes narrowed and leather gloves balled into fists revealing the armor's anger. An emotion Alphonse Elric rarely showed.

"Ling, what the hell did you do?"

oOoOo

A/N- this is going to be a fun story. I can't wait! Another OVA and my first fic with Ling in it.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two-Different bodies.

The armor grabbed the front of the prince's jacket. A noise came from the helmet that revealed the soul now occupying it was frustrated.

"We have to fix this before Al wakes up."

"But I don't know what I did."

"Think, dammit!" Ed was beginning to sound desperate. There was this unsettling feeling that made him want to panic. He couldn't help but wonder if Al felt it all the time. There was the sound of metal scrapping against the front of the armor and he glanced down to see a knife pointing at him. The owner stood behind him and he realized Lan Fan didn't appreciate his threatening stance. There was a groan that caused the armor's crimson gaze to shift as the Fullmetal alchemist rubbed the side of his head before trying to get up.

"What happened." He took a minute to look around before seeing the armor staring back at him. Amber eyes blinked several times before he looked down at his hands. One metal hand and one flesh hand confirmed in his mind what had happened but he wasn't sure how. He could feel his heart beating in his chest and he sucked in a deep breath.

"But where's brother?"

"Al...I'm here." Alphonse stared back at the armor and for the first time in several years,he felt his heart aching.

"This can't be happening!" Al brought his hand up to his head, realizing he had to remind himself to breath or else he felt light headed.

"Hmm, I would have thought you'd be happy to be back in the flesh even if it is your brother's body," Ling squinted over at him.

"But this doesn't feel right. We can't stay like this." Al sounded like he was panicking. He wasn't used to everything he was feeling. His hands were shaking and he was really having a hard time dealing with all of this.

"Al, you've gotta calm down. We'll fix this, I promise." Crimson eyes turned back to Ling who was still being held in place. "Aren't we?" Even in a suit of armor, Edward Elric was still a force to be reckoned with. There was a jolt from behind that caught the armor's attention.

"Put Master Ling down." The ninja girl was demanding but she really couldn't do anything to Ed in this state.

"I will when he promises to fix us." There was movement at the open window and old man Fu called out to his master and granddaughter.

"I found a lead, sir." Ed's metal helmet turned as did Al. Before either of them realized it, Ling was at the window along with Lan Fan.  
Ed glanced down at his now empty hands wondering how Ling managed to get away from him.

"Okay, let's go," Ling smiled at the older man.

"Wait, you can't leave now. HEY, get back here!" Ling turned, waving a hand at Ed.

"I'll be back, just stay here till then." With that the three foreigners disappeared from sight. Ed moved hesitantly for the window when he felt a tug on the cloth around his waist.

"Brother,don't leave." Al was trying to stay calm but this was all too much for him. Ed released a sigh as he turned back to help his brother up onto the couch.

"They'd better get back soon then." Edward didn't want them to be stuck like this for long. Alphonse glanced around the room, trying to get used to his brother's body. He felt like he was controlling every movement from somewhere else. Across the way, Ed was hunched over, staring across at himself.

"Brother, are you okay?" It was so much more difficult to read Ed when he had no facial expressions. The helmet tilted slightly to the side.

"Do I always look so mad?" Alphonse arched an eyebrow.

"That's what you're thinking about? What about this?" Alphonse gestured between them.

"Yeah, you're right. We really need Ling here. I don't know how he did this and I don't recognize that circle he used." The blond nodded back quietly. There was a low growl that caused him to blush.

"You're hungry...aren't you?" Ed's tone was flat like he was annoyed.

"No, I'm fine. Honest." The armor let out a vocal sigh.

"Yeah you are. You should eat something."

"Are you okay?" Ed shifted in his seat, glancing down at his hands.

"Does it always feel like you're drowning?" Alphonse didn't want to tell him the truth.

"Not really." His stomach let out another noise.

"That's it, we're ordering you some food." Ed stood up straight only for his head to hit the fan above them. He ducked some and attempted to move over to the phone.  
"What do you want? How about some soup?"

"Soup? Can I get a sandwich too."

"Sure, anything else."

"Do you think they have potatoes? And maybe some desert? I should probably get something to drink to. I wouldn't want to choke." Edward turned away from the phone and even though he had no expression, it was still obvious what he was thinking.

"So what do you want to drink," Ed asked with a sigh in his voice as he brought the receiver up.

"Milk." The armor paused again and glanced over his shoulder.

"You're not putting that stuff in my body." His tone was firm.

"What? It's not like it'll upset your stomach. Besides one of us needs to take care of it." Ed's crimson gaze narrowed and he gave into his brother's request.

A/N- For those reading I got all of one review on the first chapter. So if you want the next chapter in a decent time frame you'll review. I like feed back.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three-The Meeting

Alphonse inhaled the food in front of him. He had forgotten how good everything tasted. Across from him, his older brother decided watching him eat only reminded him how much he liked eating. Letting out a vocal sigh he stood up, this time being careful not to hit the ceiling fan or anything else for that matter.

"Brother are you okay?" Al glanced up at him as he walked over to the window.

"Ling's been gone for hours now. I don't think he's coming back any time soon. That stupid prince." Al neatly wiped his mouth off and sat back. The meal had made him feel a little better and he was starting to adjust to being in Ed's body.

"Did you want to go look for him?" The armor sighed again before glancing back.

"It'd be difficult to find him now. He could be anywhere. Besides there was something else I was suppose to do today." Ed scratched the side of the helmet out of habit. Considering all the chaos from earlier, it was no wonder he hadn't remembered he was suppose to meet with Colonel Mustang. He gasped loudly once he realized he was suppose to be there thirty minutes ago.

"We can't just ignore our responsibilities. You have to go." Ed's crimson gaze met Al's.

"Don't you mean _you_ have to go. If I go in there they won't give me the time of day, looking like you." Alphonse stood up, an irritated look on his face.

"Hey, they like me there. In fact I bet they like me as you better then you!" Ed crossed his large arms over his chest plate and leaned forward.

"So how are those crazy emotions working for yah, Al?" His younger brother covered his face with one hand, trying to settle down.

"It's not my fault your bodys' so mixed up. Besides I'm sure I'll be able to control myself in the meeting."

"Yah think so, huh. Alright, let's call them and tell them we're on our way."

"Fine, I'll prove I can do this."

oOoOo

Central Command was as busy as ever when the Elric brothers got there. Al entered the Colonel's office alone, closing the door behind him.

"So nice of you to finally show up, Fullmetal." Mustang arched an eyebrow, noticing this was the first time Ed hadn't slammed the door. As he made his way over, Ed scratched the back of his head and gave the Colonel an apologetic look.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry I forgot about our meeting. Just had a busy morning and lost track of time." Roy blinked several times before he responded.

"Alright what's going on?" The blond started to panic and his expression became flustered.

"Nothing, nothing's wrong. I should just have more respect for your time. I'm sure you have better things to do then wait for me all day long." The Colonel leaned over his desk, eyeing Edward suspiciously.

"As much as I appreciate your apology, you're acting very odd."

"Well," Ed gulped before he continued, "Al just told me how I'm not a very considerate person. And you have done a lot for us. So I just figured he was right."

"You sure you're feeling okay?" Edward nodded back. Al didn't realize how impatient, abrupt, rude, and irritating Ed must come across. This might be his only time to maybe help his brother's image.

oOoOo

Meanwhile, the suit of armor remained out in the hallway, watching personnel hurry past him. He felt so bored just standing there, doing nothing. Unknowingly he began to shift from one foot to the other. Riza poked her head around the corner.

"Alphonse, everything okay? You seem kind of frigidity." He stopped his movement.

_'Okay I can do this. Acting like Al can't be that difficult. I just have to do everything I wouldn't normally do._

"I'm fine Lieutenant. Just waiting for Brother."

"Ok, hey could you help me with something? It'll only take a second." In the back of his mind he was grumbling but slumped in her direction.

"Sure, what do you need?" His tone revealed he was irritated, causing her to tilt her head to the side.

"Well if you don't want to do it, I can get someone else."

"No, it's fine. Sorry." He caught himself and corrected his tone.

"I just need you to put this box of files up on the top shelf over there. I can't reach it without getting up on a chair." She handed him the folders and with ease he set them where she wanted them.

'_Oh my gosh, it's so great being this tall. You can do anything,'_ Ed told himself.

"Thanks, Al." He turned back, confidence radiating from him.

"It was no problem, got anything else you can't reach?"

"No that's it." His ego deflated and he slouched in response.

"Okay, I'll just go back to waiting for Al."

"Al? Don't you mean Ed?" He straightened up, realizing he'd slipped.

"Haha, you're right. Cause I'm Al. Just kidding around with you, Lieutenant. Guess you're just too sharp." Riza narrowed her eyes and watched him even more carefully. Before she had the chance to get any more suspicious, Fury hurried in, almost running into the suit of armor.

"Oh Al, you're just the person I was hoping to run into." Ed glanced down at the other soldier, noting how small he seemed now.  
"Can you come outside. Shouldn't take too long." Edward released a loud sigh and followed him out, the entire way down the hall noting to himself that he was taller then everyone who walked by.

Once they were outside, they stopped at a tree just outside the entrance. A small girl stood there crying. "Her cat climbed up the tree. Do you think you could reach it?" Ed was smiling to himself.

"Haha, that's no problem cause I'm so big."

"Well I asked cause cats seem to like you." The armor turned and hovered over Fury.

"And I'm big." His tone was serious, too serious for the gently soul that occupied the metal vessel.

"Uh, yeah sure." With that, Ed turned and leaned down to the little girl and patted her on the head.

"Don't worry _little _girl, I'll rescue your cat." Again with little effort he reached up and pulled the cat from one of the branches. The cat bagan to hiss and tried to bite him as he brought it down.

"And I thought they liked you. How odd." Ed wanted to shake the cat off as it dug it's claws into his leather hand. Alphonse finished his meeting and could hear the commotion from the stairs.

"Let go, let go let go. You stupid hairball!"

"MEEEOOWW...MEEEOOWW!"

"Hey mister, don't hurt Fluffy!"

"Tell Fluffy to let me go!" Alphonse shook his head and hurried over. Ed noticed himself coming over. He just knew this was going to turn into an argument later.

"Give me the cat." The blond requested.

A/N-REVIEWS! Come on, it motivates me and I have so many ideas for this story. Of course if there is anything that any reader can think of (funny situation wise) I'd love to hear your ideas. Of course there will be more height jokes and stuff like that.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four-Boredom

By the time the Elrics got back to their room it was late. As Ed unlocked the door he realized this was the first time he actually wanted to see Ling had trespassed but the room was empty. Al let out a tired yawn as he closed the door behind them.

"Well I guess we're gonna be stuck like this for the night. I wish I knew what the hell that stupid prince did," Ed's grumblings didn't make the situation any better.

"I'll just have to keep you away from any cats or small children for the time being. I don't understand how you manage to be so scary." The armor turned back to the blond.

"And I don't know how you allow everyone to push you around. By the way, how did my meeting go?" There was a definite amused sound to Ed's tone.

"It went fine, I don't think the Colonel knew anything was different." Alphonse couldn't look his brother in the eye.

"Really? He didn't suspect a thing. You sure?" Al thought back to the end of the meeting. Some how he'd made it through, of course he noticed whenever he became flustered about anything, Roy would give him a certain look. The thing he'd failed at was being so sensitive about his height when the Colonel joked about it at the end of the meeting. His response was definitely not how his brother would have responded.

"Oh and Ed, next meeting we should really think about getting a phone book or something for you to sit on. I like being able to make eye contact during these meetings." Mustang had chuckled at his own comment.

"I guess I could always stand if that would be better. Sorry, I can't really help how tall I am." Roy stared in shock, his mouth hanging slightly opened.

Alphonse removed his shoes as Ed continued to pester him.

"I can't believe you didn't want to punch him in the face or something. A phone book? Really?"

"Oh yeah well I can't believe you almost threw that poor little cat after rescuing it."

"Hey, I was doing it a favor and it starts freaking out on me. What was I suppose to do?" Al just shook his head and realized he was just too tired for this conversation. It was obvious they weren't that great at trying to be anyone else but themselves.

"Tomorrow we'll just have to try harder. I know this isn't a permanent thing but I'm sure we can stick it out till Ling comes back. He always comes back."

"When he's hungry. Maybe we should set a trap or something for him." He could picture it so clearly in his mind. Ling hanging from one foot that was caught in a rope. He let out a wicked laugh at the thought. When Alphonse didn't reply, Ed turned to see he was falling asleep on the couch. Shaking his helmet he leaned down and helped him to the bedroom.

Now with Al asleep for the night, Ed decided to look through their books to see if he could find any transmutation circle that resembled the one still on the floor. Once he got bored doing that he sat down on the couch to stare at the ceiling.

"So this is what it's like for him every night. I don't know how he can stand all this quiet." Edward could normally entertain himself or at the very least sleep when he was bored but that was impossible in this body. "This whole mess makes me just want to beat Ling to a bloody pulp. I can't believe him." Although he knew sulking wasn't going to make anything better, it was all he could do right now. At least if he focused on how angry he was at Ling, he wouldn't notice how long the night was.

oOoOo

The next morning there was a knock on the door. Ed glanced up from his spot on the couch. Before he was able to get up, Al came out of the bedroom in a hurry.

"That's for me," he explained as he opened the door. The cart was was covered with several dishes and all Edward could do is stare in shock. Once Alphonse closed the door he turned to be greeted by his brother's crimson gaze. "What's wrong?"

"Do you really think you're gonna be able to eat all this?"

"Well I was really hungry so yes. It's not like I ever tell you what you can and cannot eat or how much."

"That's cause it doesn't affect you." Ed finally just shook his helmet, knowing this was going nowhere. Apparently, not being able to feel emotions somehow made him more level headed. Which made him wonder when Al got his body back would be still be the voice of reason. The thought made him want to smile.

"So whatdyah do last night," Alphonse asked between bites.

"I was trying to find that circle in our books but had no luck."

"Did he even put the book back whenever he left?" Ed thought back to the day before when Ling hopped out the window. Sure enough he remembered him still holding the book as he and his bodyguards vanished into the back alley.

"He still has it. How can this situation get any worse?" The armor leaned forward in his hands.

"Don't worry Brother, we'll find him and the book." Al took another bite of his breakfast. Sure enough he managed to finish everything in front of him. Finally satisfied, he sat back and let out a sigh.

"You're just not worried because you get to sleep and enjoy food again." Ed's tone was flat and sounded almost annoyed.

"Are you saying I shouldn't enjoy it while it lasts? Thanks."  
Another side affect to their recent soul exchange seemed to be that they argued a lot more.

"I wasn't saying that dummy, don't put words in my mouth. You just haven't been all that concerned about finding Ling." The blond stood up now glaring down at his older brother.

"Well maybe I'm trying to make the best of the situation, did you ever think about that! I haven't had a real body for years now and you want me to feel bad about this? I'll probably take better care of it then you do!"

"Hey that's not fair!" Ed stood up as well, mostly to stand taller then his brother when the door slammed open. They both glanced over as a blond girl still in her pajamas, swung a wrench at them.

"Would you two stupid brothers shut up! I am trying to sleep!" This was the first time the wrench was aimed at the suit of armor and although it didn't hurt when it knocked the helmet off, Ed couldn't help but wonder if Winry's aim was always for him, no matter what he looked like.

"Winry, sorry we forgot you were still next door," Alphonse apologized quickly. She paused in her assault, giving him a curious look.

"Ed? When did you start apologizing?" Her gaze moved to the armor trying to get his helmet back where it belong.

"Gosh, you're so crazy sometimes. One of these days you're gonna kill someone," Ed finally was able to reach the helmet under the desk and placed it back on his shoulders. Winry glanced between them for several minutes, trying to sort things out in her mind.

"Alright what are you two trying to pull here?"


	5. Chapter 5

A/N-for those of you who have been nice enough to review, thanks and I am sorry I haven't updated lately. When I don't get reviews I have a lack of motivation. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon. And please send some love.

Chapter Five-Everyone in black

Alphonse brought his hand behind his head and glanced down at the floor.

"Well it's kind of complicated, Winry." His amber gaze shifted over to Ed.

"It's not that complicated." The armor straightened up and crossed his arms.

"Brother, don't interrupt me." Winry continued to glance at each of them until she finally pointed at the suit of armor.

"Ed?" He let out a vocal sigh and nodded back.

"Yeah it's me." Her finger moved to the blond that stood before her and their eyes met.

"Al?" Hesitantly he also nodded.

"Like I said it's a little complicated."

"Did Ed do this?" The armor immediately dropped his hands into fists at his sides.

"Why do you assume it was me? Ling did this to us."

"But how? He doesn't know anything about Alchemy, does he?" This whole thing felt like a dream and Winry couldn't help but wonder if she was still asleep.

"No, the idiot did it by accident." Winry finally took a seat on the couch.

"Then how are you going to fix it?"

"Haven't figured that out yet. First we have to find him." The armor slumped down to sit on the couch across from Winry. Just having to talk about this mess made him realized how frustrated he was. A resolved look came over Winry's face and she clenched her fists.

"Then we'll just have to go look for him," she declared causing both of them to stare at her. "Come on, he couldn't have gotten too far. I'm sure we can find him."

oOoOo

The three of them started sweeping the city looking for the foreign prince and his two body guards. They had been searching for over two hours and had no luck so far.

"This is hopeless. Maybe we should be asking people if they've seen anyone passed out on the side of the road. That would be more accurate anyway." Edward suggested. It wasn't that he was tired of searching as he couldn't feel fatigue, he was just bored. Where as Al had to sit down and was rubbing at his right foot. He was also eating a piece of cake from a bakery they had stopped at.

"Well that picture you drew has no resemblance to Ling. I don't know why you keep showing it to people. All it does is let them know you're bad at drawing." Ed pulled the badly drawn picture out and looked at it. It was definitely not the best art work but Alphonse hadn't offered to do better.

"Who cares anyway, as long as I can draw a circle that's all I need." The past two hours had been none stop arguing between the two of them and Winry had had just about enough of it.

"Would you two quite bickering. You're giving me a headache. It's enough to drive someone crazy." Edward turned away from both his brother and Winry in response and started to head down the street again.

"Then tell Al to get a move on. We keep having to stop cause of him." Alphonse got to his feet and hurried after the suit of armor.

"I can't help it if I get tired or hungry. It's not like I complain whenever you get sleepy and have to eat all the time." Winry rolled her eyes and reluctantly followed behind them. She was ready to smack both of them over the head. Edward was saying something back to Al when something dark moved across his path. The person hurried down a nearby side street.

"What was that," Ed glanced in that direction, trying to see where they went.

"Was that Lan Fan?" Alphonse' conclusion was enough to get Edward to rush in that direction.

"It has to be, come on." Al stuffed the rest of his piece of cake in his mouth. Winry let out a sigh and remained where she was. She had no intentions of doing any of the actual chasing. Eventually Ed and Al walked back to the main street, disappointed.

"It wasn't her," they both announced.

"You can't chase every person in central wearing black, yah know."

"Not every one, just those who seem suspicious," Edward pointed out. She just shook her head in response. It was going to be a long day at this rate.

oOoOo

As the day wore on, it was becoming abundantly clear that they weren't going to find Ling by searching the entire city. Eventually Al started to complain about being hungry again and Ed couldn't take it. By this time the sun was setting and soon it would be too dark to search anyway. Giving up, they trudged back to the hotel empty handed and worn out. As Ed opened the door to their room he paused at what he saw. Al pushed his way into the room past the bulky suit.

"Brother, move. What are you looking at?" Al's jaw dropped at the mess before them. Plates littered the coffee table and most of the couch.

"He was here!" Ed clenched his fists and let out a growl. Alphonse looked over the empty plates on the table.

"And he didn't even leave any for us. If were paying, it's the least he could do." Ed's helmet tilted to the side. Normally he would be visibly seething in this kind of situation and Al was not making it any better.

"Really, Al? Do you honestly want to stay this way. We don't have time for this!" Edward moved towards the window. "I bet they left this way again, so maybe they're still in the alley." The suit of armor jumped down, out of sight.

"Ed," Winry called out and hurried over to make sure he was alright. Al found a remaining chicken leg and was munching on it. "We should go help him look." She turned from the window and headed for the door with Al following behind her. After they shut the door, there was a low sound from behind the couch. Ling sat up and looked around the room, wondering what all the noise was.

"And here I thought they'd be back by now. Guess they're okay without me." He stretched and went for the window, heading for the roof where his body guards were.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six-Sleep

Al and Winry finally convinced Ed to give up the search for the prince after another half hour of searching. At least when Edward was himself his determination was slowed down by things like sleep but as a suit of armor, there was nothing to stop him once he got an idea in his head.

"There really is no way to know how long it's been since he was here anyway," Winry mentioned once they got back to the room.

"Yeah, but what a mess," Ed grumbled as he started to clean up. When Al didn't bother to help he paused and turned to the blond. "You gonna help?"

"Well I thought that maybe Winry and I could go grab a bite before everything is shut down for the night." Edward released an exasperated sigh.

"Am I really like this all the time? Fine do what you want, it's not like I care." Alphonse hurried out of the room with Winry before it became another argument. Edward went back to cleaning up, wondering if this is how Al felt whenever he fell asleep or had to eat. He wondered if Alphonse ever felt like he rubbed his face in the fact that he didn't need anything normal people did. If it was up to him, he would just go search all night for Ling instead of sitting around bored to death.

After an hour or so of cleaning, he took a seat on the couch and waited for Al to come back. He had a feeling he'd just go to bed once he got there. Although this was the first time they were so far away from each other since this whole thing started, Ed could feel a definite pull that was unsettling. Like his soul wanted to jump right out of the armor and find where it really belonged. Letting out a frustrating noise he stood up in a fit of anger.

"Like I didn't feel bad enough about our situation, I really didn't have to experience what Al puts up with on a daily basis." He heard Winry and Alphonse out in the hall and took a moment to calm down. Walking over, he opened the door just as Al pulled the key out of his pocket.

"Oh thanks, Brother." Al rubbed at his eyes and confirmed Ed's suspicions that he was too tired from the day.

"So what did you eat?" Edward's tone was flat indicating to Al that he could say they ate the worse meal imaginable and it would bother his older brother.

"Nothing special. I forgot there is some food that isn't that good." It was obviously a lie as Alphonse was never good at lying. Of course everything up to this point in the past day or so had tasted amazing to him.

"Uh huh, well I'm sure you're tired so I'll see you in the morning."

"Don't worry Brother, I'm sure we'll find Ling tomorrow. If he came back here to eat he'll probably come back when he's hungry again, right."

"Yeah, I hope so."

oOoOo

Just like the night before, boredom took over as Ed tried to read through another book but just didn't desire to finish it. It was nearing one in the morning when he heard a sound through the wall across from him. As he recalled, Winry's room was right next to theirs. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe Ling had snuck into the wrong room and scared her. It was far fetched but even so he got up and hurried out to the hallway. Forcing her door open was easy being the size he was.

"Winry? Hey what's wrong?" She was still sleeping but seemed to be having a bad dream. Her window was closed, letting him know that no one had been there. Carefully he sat on the end of the bed and leaned over to gently wake her up. Her closed hand came up, knocking his helmet off. He vocalized an annoyed sound has he caught it and place it back on his metal frame. "Forget being nice." He grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard. She let out a groan before opening her eyes and pushed away from him.

"Okay, Al. I'm awake now."

"I'm Ed, remember?" He pointed at himself. She scratched the side of her head and nodded.

"Oh yeah. So why'd you wake me up."

"Cause I heard you from our room. You were having a nightmare or something. I thought maybe Ling broke in but I was wrong." For some reason it irritated her that he had such a one tracked mind and that he only really came over cause he thought Ling was there.

"Well I'm fine, obviously. So you don't have to stay." Something about the demeanor of the armor seemed off to her. Not so much if it were Alphonse's soul still inside but since it was Ed, it seemed out of character for him. He seemed timid and unsure.

"Actually since you're up, want to keep me company. It gets lonely not needing any sleep."

"Mmm, Alphonse seems to handle it better then you I guess." Winry leaned on her hand, tilting her head to the side. Edward stood and turned to leave.

"If that's how you're gonna be then forget it. I'll entertain myself some other way." Winry reached out and grabbed his empty leather glove.

"No, don't do that. Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Honest." Edward turned back and stared down at the thing keeping him from leaving. He couldn't feel her hand holding him there and it bothered him. Shaking his head, he looked away from her and yanked his arm away. "Are you okay Ed? What I meant was Al just doesn't talk about it much but I'm sure it doesn't feel right."

"Now that's an understatement. It's actually kind of miserable." Ed's hollow tone came out low as he turned back to her and sat down again. "This whole thing has just made it all the more clear to me that I have to get him back to normal. I don't know how he handles it. I feel like I'm going crazy."

"Well at least we know Ling is still in the city. You just have to figure out how to catch him." Ed nodded back but still didn't feel very confident.

A/N-and once again here's the part where I pathetically beg for reviews ::weeping:: Oh and I was being nice not telling you whether or not their voices change with their souls cause I wanted to reader to decide. See I'm nice, so please review. It really does inspire me to write faster knowing it's appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven-Setting a trap

Alphonse and Winry's confidence the Ed's capability to catch Ling finally paid off. After Winry dosed off, Ed went back to their room and started planning. The foreign prince would have a difficult time refusing a free meal and Edward had ordered enough room service to feed a small army. He was done playing games. Sitting next to the window, he used a small fan to send the smell out into the alley. This plan had to work. Once Ed heard movement below he hid behind the couch as best he could. Hopefully no one would see him. Just as he predicted, Ling entered through the window and glanced around the room.

"When are those guys gonna learn not to leave the window open. I mean they have more dangerous people looking for them then me after all." The scent hit his nose again as he remained hunched on the window sill, sniffing the air. "Oh well, I'm sure they wouldn't want this meal to go to waste." He jumped into the room and sat himself down on the floor. "If it weren't for those two, I'd probably starve to death." Just as he started eating, Ed leaped over the couch, blanket in hand.

"I've got you now!" He brought the blanket over Ling's head and held him in place. "You're not going anywhere till you fix us." The older Elric's tone came out threatening cold. Ling shrugged and called back, his voice muffled.

"Yah know Ed, I can't fix things if I suffocate." Edward reluctantly removed the blanket from his head but still had him by the arms.

"Does that mean you're going to stay put now."

"I was planning on helping all along. You sure don't trust your friends very well do you?" He smiled back at the armor innocently.

"You ran away. And you're not my friend."

"Well then why am I helping you, of course I'm your friend. By the way this belongs to you." He held up the book he'd accidentally ran off with. Ed grabbed it and finally released Ling. As he flipped through the pages, the prince went back to eating his breakfast.

"I never said you could eat that." The armor sounded irritated at him.

"So you'd rather it go to waste?"

"It's for Al." Just as he mentioned his younger brother's name, Alphonse came out of the bedroom, also sniffing the air.

"Mmm, that looks delicious." He walked over, not even acknowledging Ling was there.

"Try the pancakes, they're really fluffy," Ling explained to him as he took a seat next to him. Edward covered his armored face with his hand, trying not to get any more agitated.

"They are fluffy," Al exclaimed after he took his first bite. Ed was really at the end of his patience, just wanting desperately to get things back to normal, or at least to what they considered normal.

"There are more important things right now Al, then eating." Alphonse leaned over to Ling and spoke softly.

"This is how he is when he doesn't get enough sleep." The armor slammed the book closed and rose to his feet, causing both of them to look up at him.

"It's not about that! Ling is finally here so now we can switch back." Alphonse sighed back at his older brother before stuffing another piece of food in his mouth. Ling sat back, leaning on his arm and pointed at Ed with his fork.

"I would have thought you'd be at least a little impressed that I was able to pull this off. I mean you haven't been able to reverse it. Maybe I have some hidden talent after all." Edward shook his head in disbelief.

"I don't know if messing with people's souls can be considered a talent. What were you thinking about anyway?"

"What, when I did the trans-whats it thing? I'm not sure but I think I thought about how it would be like to be immortal and then you started yelling and then everything got messed up. I don't really see how this is relevant anyway."

"Cause you're suppose to focus on what you're doing. So this time you need to think about Al and me switching places."

"Sounds easy enough." With that he went back to eating.

"So did your lead come up with anyway," Alphonse asked between bites.

"No, we really have limited access in this country. Maybe if we looked more like the military, that would help. Otherwise we just look like illegal aliens." Edward crossed his arms and leaned forward, intimidatingly.

"It's cause you are illegal aliens."

"Hey, you want me to fix you right? You could afford to be a little nicer to me then." Ling squinted up at the armor who was growing more and more impatient.

"I'm feeding you aren't I? Besides, I could just have you arrested and then deported."

"That's not very funny Ed."

"Hell with funny, you've screwed things up for us. Like we don't have enough to deal with as it is."

"Brother, calm down. Ling's gonna help us get back to normal and everything will be fine. You're worrying too much." Ed wanted to argue back but figured there was no point. He settled on the couch again and went back to reading the book Ling brought back. Once there was no more food left to be devoured both Al and Ling sat back in satisfaction.

"What a meal. That was great," Ling remarked happily. Alphonse nodded back.

"Alright, now that you're both finish, can we get this done?"

"Okay, fine. If it'll make you happy." Ling let out a groan but managed to force himself to his feet. The transmutation circle was a little dull but could still be made out on the floor. Al moved over to it as well, taking a seat at the edge. He was too full to stand up right now.

"So all I have to do is think about switching the two of you, huh?" Ling seemed dubious about it being that simple as he placed his hands on the circle. Ed stood across from him and nodded back. The circle came to life as blue electricity sparked around them. Alphonse leaned forward and closed his eyes. Before long, Ed was tossed back some, knocking him to the floor. Ling let out a huff and fell backwards as well causing the light to fade.

"Did it work?" The foreigner squinted at the other two and furrowed his brow.

"Wow, I can't believe I was able to do that," The blond across the way announced. The armor sat up and let out a groan.

"You didn't." A cocky grin in return confirmed Ed's suspicions. Ling had traded places with Al's soul. Edward was still in the armor.

"Well I thought about it and I just need to borrow your body for a while, Ed. As a State Alchemist, I can get whatever information I need easily."

"Borrow! It's my body! You can't just borrow it!" The armor reached over and grabbed himself by the collar. "Now you listen here. We're gonna do it again and this time you're gonna..." The alchemist moved quickly, maneuvering out of the armor's grasp. "Hey, I was talking to you!"

"Wow for being so small, you sure can move fast."

"Excuse me! What do you mean small!" Ling brought his metal and flesh hands up in defense.

"Don't worry I shouldn't be too long. Just wait here till I get back, okay." With that, he hurried to the window, out of sight. The armor remained where he was in shock.

"He did it again...he ran away." The foreign prince tried to stand up, only to fall over again.

"Brother,...I don't understand what happened." Once again, Ed was put into another bad predicament. He had to take care of Al instead of chasing after Ling.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight-Identity Crisis

"So you lost him again?" Winry sat across from Ed and Al on the one couch.

"I didn't loose him, he just got away!" Edward was fuming by now. "I can't believe him. I hope he breaks his arm or something." Winry crossed her arms and gave the armor a look.

"What, you think my work is so fragile? No wonder you're always breaking it."

"You know that's not what I mean." He groaned loudly in response. Alphonse grabbed his stomach and leaned against Ed's armor.

"He ate too much this morning. I think I'm gonna be sick."

"To be honest it serves you right the way you were being nice to him."

"How does he see? I feel like I'm squinting all the time."

"You are squinting," Ed came back with.

"Well how can he see anything when he's squinting all the time?" Alphonse sounded exasperated.

"Calm down, he said he was coming back." As much as Ed was trying to get Al to settle, he was furious at Ling. His body was not something to be rented out or borrowed. He could only imagine the damage his reputation was going to incur because of this. No longer able to just sit there he got to his feet. "Yah know what, I'm not gonna wait around for him. That bastards' gotten away with enough and this might be my only chance to give him a piece of my mind without those bodyguards of his getting in the way."

"But we don't know where he is."

"He said he was trying to get information in the military so he had to go to the Command Center. I'll start there ."

"I want to come too, Brother." The armor eyed him wearily.

"You probably shouldn't go out looking like, that to be honest. Especially to Headquarters." Al's shoulders slumped and he nodded in agreement. "Besides someone needs to stay here in case he gets back."

"Fine I'll stay here." Ed went for the door but before leaving he turned back to Winry.

"And if he does come back, take his leg or something, Winry."

"If I get the chance." She shrugged back.

oOoOo

Going around the Command Center, asking random people if they knew about the Philosopher's Stone was a good way for Ling to get himself into trouble fast. Before long, the Colonel heard the rumor about his subordinate and managed to get him into the office before he really made a fool out of them both.

"What were you doing? I thought you were past this whole Philosopher's stone idea anyway?" Ling could not afford to blow his cover as he plastered on a cocky grin and leaned back confidently in his seat.

"Well we think we might be able to use it after all." Roy groaned and ran a hand through his hair.

"You really don't have time for that kind of thing right now anyway. Or did you forget about that task I told you to take care of." Now the blond was at a loss for words as he had no idea what Ed had discussed with the Colonel.

"Yeah, I remembered but you know how side tracked I can get."

"No kidding." Mustang eyed him suspiciously. He had insulted him again and once more there was no eruption from the other side of the desk.

"So...what was that thing again? That you wanted me to do?"

"Really Ed? You already forgot?" Ling shrugged back absentmindedly.

"I've got a lot on my plate, sorry. Getting my brother back to normal and all that stuff."

"I swear there's something wrong with you. I haven't figured it out yet, but something is not right." The blond gulped in response as Mustang leaned closer as though he was looking for some clue he hadn't noticed yet. "Why are you squinting?" Before Ling could think of a way out of this, the office door burst opened and a suit of armor with anger glowing in it's eyes rushed in.

"I knew you'd be here." Roy stared in shock as it was clear by his stance that Alphonse was furious. He stomped into the office and yanked the Fullmetal Alchemist up indignantly. "Let's go." Before the Colonel could say anything, the Elric brothers were gone.

oOoOo

"Aw, come on Ed. I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted to get more information on the philosopher's stone." Edward's empty armor dragged the short blond behind him, back to his dorm room.

"I already told you it's nothing you should be messing with."

"You're not being fair," Ling whined loudly but Ed kept moving down the street, completely oblivious to the stares they were receiving from people.

"I'm not being fair? _You're_ the one who has no idea what in the world _he's_ doing when it comes to alchemy yet _you_ decided to take _my_ body on a joy ride. Now we're going back and _you're_ fixing this before _my _reputation takes any more damage." Ling let out a distraught sound before realizing he could probably get away if he slipped out of his jacket that Ed was pulling him by. With little effort he escaped and snuck away unbeknownst to Edward.

oOoOo

When Ed made it back to the dorm, the first thing he noticed was that Lan Fan and Fu were sitting with Alphonse. He couldn't help but wonder if they knew it wasn't their master.

"Did you find him," Alphonse inquired curiously.

"Yeah, he's right..." The armor, unable to feel a difference in weight, easily lifted his arm holding his own red jacket. "Ahh...you've gotta be kidding me! I'm sick of playing around here!" He tossed the jacket onto the couch. Fu leaned over to Alphonse with an inquiring look on his face while Ed continues to rank about their predicament.

"Master, why is the armored one so upset." Edward stopped his ranting, his arms still over his head making him look even more crazy.

"It's very important that we find his older brother. It has to do with our mission here in this country."

"We will hunt him down for you without fail, my lord," Lan Fan offered.

"Uh...yeah that's a great idea. You should go find the Fullmetal Alchemist and if he says anything weird you should just gag him or something." With a wave of his hand, the two dark warriors vanished from the room. Edward stared at the open window for a couple of seconds before glancing down at Alphonse.

"Hey,...Al?" His brother squinted back up at him.

"Yeah, Brother?"

"Oh you had me confused there for a second. You acted so much like Ling it had me fooled."

"Well I figured if I could convince those two that I was Ling then they would do whatever I asked them to."

"Pretty smart. It'll be hilarious when they bring Ling back, thinking he's me. He's not gonna be too happy about that." For the first time in all of this, Alphonse could hear a laugh in Ed's tone.

"They would know more about how he thinks anyway so they could find him easier then we could," Al explained before letting out a sigh. "I just want things back to normal. This is uncomfortable." He shifted his weight on the couch, moving side to side.

"I know what yah mean. I feel like I'm being pulled in two different directions. It's not healthy to mess with people's souls." There was an odd silence before Alphonse finally realized he didn't explain himself very well.

"Oh, I wasn't talking about that. I don't get how he can see anything. It's giving me a headache." Ed couldn't help but laugh at Al's reply. Afterall, he was used to being in a body that wasn't his.

A/N-Whenever I use_ Italics_ on a word it's for emphasis. Mostly when Ed is talking and he's making a point. Just to let you know...so please review, I'm begging you for something anything. You could tell me you hate it and I would be okay, as long as I know someone somewhere out there is reading it. It's never taken me so long to write a story. This is getting pretty sad.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine-Benefits

It was evening already before Winry knocked on the door to Ed and Al's room. She walked in, carrying in some goods from the bakery down the street.

"Hey Al, do you want some?" Before he even answered, the basket was out of her hand and he was rummaging through the bag.

"Thanks Winry, Ed won't let me leave the room and I'm starving." As he grabbed one of the sweet buns and started eating, the armor sitting on the one couch called over in defense.

"You said you're stomach was hurting earlier AND you ate dinner two hours ago. So don't give me that crap about starving." Winry walked over to him and glanced down at the book he was reading through.

"So no luck yet, huh?"

"Of all the books he could have picked up, he picks up this one. I didn't even remember buying this one. He couldn't start with basic alchemy." He covered his eyes with his hand in frustration. She knew this was starting to really drain him but she also knew if anyone could crack this it was him.

"Guess you'll just have to try harder." He turned and would have been glaring.

"Really? It's not like automail, yah know. You can't mess up that like this." He raise the book some to make his point. A sly smile crossed the blond mechanic's face at the comment.

"And yet you're always breaking something." He groaned back and looked away.

"I'm not having this argument." Winry couldn't help but feel she'd won this little spat.

"Come on guys, don't fight." Al went for another sweet bun. "So how do they get them so soft. These must be fresh." It was like he'd become a food expert or something over the past couple of days.

"Young lord!" They all heard Fu call from the alleyway and Al sadly placed the bag down and walked over to the window. Ed glanced back up at Winry.

"So how come you never bring sweet buns around for me?"

"Cause you always break my automail and besides I don't want to make Al feel bad." Edward was mentally gawking back but once again found he lost his resolve to get into a disagreement. Instead he shook his head and pushed himself up and headed over to join Al.

"So did they find him," He asked his younger brother.

"No, anytime they got close to him, he was near military personnel and they figured a couple of ninjas grabbing a State Alchemist out in the open like that would look bad."

"Yeah I guess it would."

"Hey, I'll be right back. They want to talk to me down there." Alphonse was about to head out the window when Edward grabbed him by the back of his jacket. "Brother? What gives?" Edward pointed down to the ten plus feet to the ground.

"You want to break your neck? That's quite the jump for a normal person...well as normal as Ling is anyway. If you die in his body that doesn't help us in the least bit." Alphonse nodded back.

"I hadn't thought about that. I've seen Ling do it all the time." That statement caused Ed some distress.

"I hope he's not doing anything too dangerous with my body and ends up killing me. That would really put a damper in our plans."

"They did say he was in town today." Edward replied to Al's statement with a groan and Al put his hands up in hopes to ease his brother's grief. "Don't worry, he's gotta come back at some point considering he's got nowhere to stay the night."

"He'd be pretty stupid to come back here though, you know that."

"I'll talk to his people and see if they can track him down tonight. Now that it's not the middle of the day, it might be easier to grab him." Ed nodded back reluctantly, knowing Al was trying to be helpful.

oOoOo

Edward Elric left the restaurant with some other soldiers that he had decided to use for body guards that day. As they stood out in the street, still laughing from the nice meal and good company, one patted him on the shoulder.

"Wow, Ed. We always thought State Alchemist were all up tight but you're okay. Thanks for buying our dinner."

"Thanks for hanging out with me today." Ling flashed a grin and waved as the three older men walked down the road. "Now where to? I'm sure I can think of something else to do tonight." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and wondered towards the middle of town.

"We've been waiting for you, Alchemist." He heard the low voice just in time to turn around. Two dark shadows appeared before him and grabbed him before he could do anything. Normally in this kind of situation Edward Elric could handle an ambush. Even Ling had dealt with enough assassins in his short life. But up against Fu and Lan Fan was too much of a challenge, especially in a body as short and heavy as Ed's. He tried to move out of their grasp only to loose his balance and fall forward. Before he even realized it, he was tied up.

"Guys, this isn't right. How can you betray me like this?" Fu was carrying him back to the dorm over his shoulder.

"We have no loyalties to you. The young lord wants to see you."

"I'm the young lord. How can you not know it's me?"

"Master was right, he is talking crazy," Lan Fan brought up as they disappeared into an alley. From there they went to the rooftops, heading back to the dorms.

oOoOo

Edward tried desperately to hide his laughter as Ling was brought in though the window. The blond alchemist looked indignant as they set him down. Before anything else was said, the two bodyguards left the room. As Ed stared down at Ling, he dropped his gaze.

"Are you finish goofing around? This is getting old." Finally the Xingese prince brought his face up, grinning back at the suit of armor.

"I was just having some fun. State Alchemist's get a lot of perks in this town. It's not like I want to be this small forever. Not to mention you're heavy limbs wear me out."

"I'm not gonna be 'small' forever!"

"So you do think you're short." The hollow sounding voice paused for a second before replying.

"No...besides, this isn't about that anyway. Now give me back my body!"


	10. Chapter 10

A/N-So I have procrastinated long enough on ending this story. Sorry to those who have been keeping up with it. I hope you enjoy the ending, although I'm not sure how to end it.

Chapter Ten-Back to Normal.

"Ah, it's nice to be back in my body." Edward leaned back in his seat.

"So why didn't you say anything about this sooner," Colonel Mustang asked. "It does explain why you were so...polite." The blond on the other side of the desk glared in his direction. Roy grinned back. "And I gotta say it's strange that a foreigner who didn't know anything about Alchemy..." Edward cut him short as he stood and leaned forward to make his point.

"I told you, it was a fluke!"

"Right a fluke,... that you weren't even able to fix." Mustang placed his chin on the back of his hands, amused with Ed's response. "But I guess if you couldn't figure it out then there was no reason to involve anyone else."

"That and I knew you'd mess with me." Edward seemed to be sulking some as he leaned back on his heels.

"Never miss an opportunity." Ed huffed back as he placed his hands in his pockets.

"Anyway, was there anything else?" This conversation was becoming typical to him.

"Nope, just don't forget about that mission." Mustang's youngest subordinate scratched the side of his face at the statement.

"Yeah about that, could you maybe explain it again? I think you gave that information to Alphonse." There was a groan from across the desk.

"You'd had better burn that Alchemy book."

oOoOo

"I was so close to having an immortal body, such a shame," Ling slouched some on the couch across from Winry and Alphonse.

"You don't think you would have gotten away with that do you," Winry asked back. Ling shrugged and smiled back at her.

"Well if Ed had just given me the information I needed then it would have never come to this."

"I would have thought you'd figured out by now how stubborn he is," she brought up before Al jumped into the conversation.

"Wait are you saying you planned all this? The whole time?"

"Really? Come on, we both know I don't have a clue when it comes to Alchemy. Like I could plan something like this anyway?" He might have denied it but the way he was squinting up at Al and smiling said something different. "But it would really keep me out of trouble if the two of you would just tell me what I need to know. Then I can stop bothering you and causing you trouble." Al shook his head in disbelief.

"Somehow I doubt that." Winry stood up and stretched her arms over her head.

"Now that everything is back to normal, it's not as exciting around here." She added a yawn for emphasis and headed for the door. Before she made it to the exit, the door was pushed open with more force then necessary. Edward walked in, holding a bag of fresh baked goods. Ling sniffed the air and hurried over to him.

"You're just the person I was hoping to see. You're such a good friend, always so giving..." The Prince was greeted with a boot to the face as the shorter teen held the bag over his head.

"You stay away from me! Do you have any idea how much trouble you caused me?" Ling fell backwards and sat up from his new position from the floor.

"Oh come on, don't be like that. I can be helpful sometimes." Ed shrugged off his jacket and headed for the bedroom.

"I want to be alone right now and when I get back you better not be here. If you are, the Emperor of Xing is going to have one less kid fighting for the throne." With his final warning he kicked the door shut. His reasoning for leaving wasn't just because he didn't want to share his food, but also because he didn't want to eat in front of Alphonse. Now that he knew how his brother felt on a daily basis, he would have to try harder not to be a constant reminder of his condition. There was a timid knock on the door before he heard Al's voice.

"Brother, are you alright."

"Yeah, I'm fine." He grumbled between bites. Hoping that was enough for Al, he knew better as the door opened and the intimidating suit of armor entered the room.

"You don't have to hide in here, Ling already left."

"I wasn't hiding!" He let out a huff in response once he swallowed his bite. Explaining all that these past several days had revealed to him was not something he wanted to get into. But Alphonse's intuition was too sharp as always.

"It was nice for awhile, yah know."

"What was?" Edward's fowl mood drenched his words.

"Being in a normal body. I know these last couple of days have been frustrating but still it was nice. I was starting to forget what it was like." Ed let out a sigh and slouched some. Even if he hated the idea of anyone else running around in his body, he was somewhat glad he was able to make Al happy even for a little while. It had all been unintentional but the fact remained.

"We'd probably be making more head way if we didn't have that stupid prince and his bodyguards always around. Sometimes it feels like we're babysitting them."

"They're not all that bad, we just have to make sure Ling stays away from our books from now on."

"I guess you're right." Ed sighed heavily again, conceding. In the silence of the room, there was a knock at the front door.

"Room Service!" The announcement was muffled but they could still make it out.

"I'll get it!" They both heard Ling leap back through the window and hurry past their room. Ed glared up at his brother.

"Forget to lock the window again," he spoke through his teeth. Al moved away from him slowly.

"It's suppose to be cold out tonight and I didn't want them to have nowhere to go."

"Alphonse, these are not stray cats we're talking about here, we're talking about those leeches on society! We wouldn't even have to worry about him getting to our books if we just locked the window!" Ed jumped from the bed and rushed to kick his intruders out once and for all.

"Ah, Ed you should come join us, this is amazing." The side of Ed's mouth twitched up as all three of them stared up at him.

"Why? Does food taste better when someone else is paying for it?"

"Of course not and with those heavy limbs of yours, you need to eat all the food you can get. Don't want to be that small forever." By now Al was behind his older brother, holding him back as his temper exploded. Eventually he decided there was no point trying to stop him and let go. As the chaos in the room escalated, Al decided to go back in the bedroom.

"Maybe Brother is right about having to babysit them all the time, although I'm the one who has to watch everyone." With that last thought, he closed the door in hopes of regaining some peace.

The End


End file.
